Love the Earth – calling for a worldwide adoption of thevegetarian/vegan diet
www.loveearthgathering.com
Congratulations and thank you to all who participated in the 2008 Love Earth gatherings. The grassroots movement was a tremendous success in every city and has strengthened the cooperative spirit in all to continue spreading the veg message to the greater public and our leaders worldwide to stop climate change.
Across Australia,in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Hobart, as well as Indianapolis inthe USA, the message of “Be Veg, Go Green and Save the Planet” echoed throughout the cities and information leaflets were handed out to countless people.
Concerned citizens from a variety of groups attended these gatherings to show their support and to promote the vital and urgent message that immediate change is needed in order to abate climate change. The quickest, simplest solution: be a vegetarian or even better, a vegan.
The gatherings in each city brought the veg message to the masses in colourful, creative ways: From city walk-throughs, public speakers, large banners, information stalls to a fun family festival.
In Hobart…
Representatives from Vegetarian Tasmania, Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania and The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association joined forces to host a wonderful gathering on the beautiful lawns of Parliament House at Salamanca Market.
The morning began with an informative talk by Al Gore presenter and nutritionist, Liila Hass. Liila spoke about the critical situation facing humanity, andthe importance of diet in curbing global warming, highlighting the wealth of health and other benefits to be gained by a vegetarian diet. The talk was followed by a fun parade of bright and furry animal-costumed friends holding aloft an array of pro-veg placards as they strolled through the crowds
A sweet young piglet named Peggy attracted a lot of interest from the passing crowds, drawing people to the information stalls. Throughout theafternoon, people stopped to watch videos about the urgency of the global warming situation and to take away climate change fact-sheets, nutritional information, and vegetarian recipes.
The local news media provided good coverage of the day, with a report on the 6 o’clock news on WIN TV and Channel 7 that evening and a short story in the following Sunday newspaper, bringing the vegetarian diet and climate change message to many Tasmanians in the comfort of their homes.
In Canberra…
An information stall in the heart of Canberra at Garema Place, Civic Centre, was set up where people were invited to learn more about climate change and what they can do to help save planet earth. The free vegetarian food on offer was a major hit with the public, with many people impressed at how good vegetarian food tastes.
The general response from the public was extremely positive,with participants commenting on the importance of the grassroots event and how much they enjoyed the free vegetarian tasty treats. Free information booklets on the effect of meat industry on the environment were also handed out, with the message: "Consider a vegetarian diet - Good for you, Good for the Planet." Over 50 people signed a petition in support of legislation to curb meat production.
In Perth…
Charged with community spirit and goodwill for the unifiedgrassroots action in combating climate change, the Love Earth gathering in Perth took the form of a fun-filled family day festival where the public was treated to a selection of enjoyable activities. A variety of information stalls, notable speakers, a wonderful mix of artists and performers, vegetarian cooking classes all contributed to the success of the event. Children’s activities included face painting, sustainable energy interactive displays, and a workshop in building funky musical instruments out of junk!
Local Aboriginal Leader, Noel Pearson, a member of the Nyoongar people - the traditional owners of the land on which the event was held - opened the event. He spoke about the spirits of the land, how they supported the event and foretold that it would expand and grow in numbers each year as more people awakened to the urgent need to shift our community attention to the plight of mother earth.
Senator Scott Ludlum of the Greens party indicated during his talk that in researching for his speech his eyes had been opened to the terrible environmental costs associated with the meat and dairy industries. He said this new understanding would filter out through his own party and indeed into parliament house itself.
Scrumptious vegetarian food was abundant with Hare Krishna, Soul Tree, Fair Trade Coffee and The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association members providing diverse and delicious veg delights.
In Brisbane…
People from a range of groups gathered at Reddacliff Place in Brisbane City with an abundance of banners and signs promoting the veg message and alerting the public to the urgency of climate change, and to listen to speeches from prominent members of society calling for immediate action. Members from the Vegetarian/Vegan Society Queensland(VVSQ), The Greens, Animal Liberation, The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, Ananda Marga and other concerned individuals were among the assembly.
Key note speaker, former senator Andrew Bartlett spoke candidly at the public gathering saying: “The single, easiest, most immediate straight forward thing every single person can do to have an immediate impact on reducing greenhouse emissions and reducing the dangers of climate change is to reduce their consumption of meat and dairy products and ideally eliminate them altogether.” He further explained: “We can’t all individually go out and set up a replacement for the coal industry overnight. We can’t all individually go out and establish a whole fleet of solar cars. ….but we can all reduce our consumption of meat and dairy products today. It’s an immediate thing we can do now; we don’t need to wait for new technology.”
In Sydney…
The Love Earth Gathering walkers marched on busy city streets handing out SOS/climate change flyers to onlookers informing them about the seriousness of global warming and also the environmental merits of a veggie diet. Large flyers and signs could be seen by pedestrians, traffic and cars with some motorists beeping in show of their support!
Sarah Kossew, lawyer from Voiceless, an animal rights group, spoke at the beginning of the walk reminding everyone of the impacts that meat eating has on the environment.
Despite the rain there was a big turnout of people – all happy to be part of such aworthwhile and necessary event - including a pair of dogs wearing singlets stating "I am a vegetarian."
In Melbourne…
Dedicated supporters from Animals Australia, L.I.V.E (Locals Intothe Victorian Environment), representatives from the Climate EmergencyNetwork, Beyond Zero Emissions, Vegetarian Network Victoria, NonViolence.org and The Supreme Master ChingHai International Association, and lots of people just supportive of thecause came along for the city walk through.
Speaker Bruce Poon captivated passersby and supporters alike with his clear explanation of the environmental damage caused by the demand for a meat based diet and convinced many of the importance of shifting to the plant based diet. The colourful gathering then walked down Swanston St along the Southbank promenade and ended up at Queensbridge Square all the while handing out informative flyers to interested passersby.
In Indianapolis, USA …
White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis, the capital city of Indiana State, USA, where around 20 people came together to be part of the global Love Earth Gathering.
The event coincided with the Indianapolis Circle City Classic Parade followed by a football game in the same area. In high spirits the participants handed out an incredible amount of 10,000 SOS/climate changes flyers to an enthusiastic crowd attending the football game. Banners and signs posted around the park, and "sandwich" signs worn by some participants, promoted the message of being veg to save the planet.
Children who came to the event were especially eager to greet the friendly and delightful 'Piggy" and "Scooby" who freely dispersed hugs along with the flyers. Two adorable dogs also tagged along wearing vests adorned with the slogan "Am a Vegan," attracting lots of loving attention and happy smiles.
Through people-power the veg message is spreading to the masses and it’s reaching our leaders too. Manyc oncerned individuals, who Love the Earth, are continuously spreading the message to others about how they too can play a part in drastically reducing greenhouse gases to halt climate change. The simplest, quickest way is: be a vegetarian or, even better, be a vegan. Stay tuned for more Love Earth gatherings and other like events. It’s only a matter of time before our leaders worldwide take this message on board and take the required action for all humanity.
